Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "robert-galbraith"

Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved the first two Cormoran Strike novels and loved this third novel in equal measure. Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling) beautifully captures a mix of a classic cosy detective novel and a modern gritty psychological thriller.

In this third high-profile case for Strike and Robin, a woman's severed leg is delivered to their office, beginning an investigation into dangerous criminals from Strike's past, dredging up and instigating revelations for both main character's lives which threaten them in more ways than ever before. The conclusion is both a gripping and satisfying end to a novel that begged to not be put down throughout.

I hope the wait for the fourth novel won't be too long and that the BBC TV series currently being produced will live up to the quality of all three novels. Strike is already a classic detective and long may this series continue.



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Lethal White by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Strike and Robin return in the fourth in JK Rowling's series written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

Picking up immediately where 'Career of Evil' concluded, 'Lethal White' immediately proves it has been worth the wait. We are reintroduced to both characters at a significant point in Robin's life, in the aftermath of the capture of the Shacklewell Ripper in the previous novel.

The investigation at the centre of the novel takes place a year later, a mystery which begins with a young man visiting Strike's office. He is deeply disturbed by the memory of witnessing a child being strangled while he was a child himself. After the man flees, Strike is determined to discover the truth, despite having enough cases from paying customers to contend with.

The mystery takes another turn when Strike is contacted by a government minister, who wishes to hire him to dig dirt on two people who are trying to blackmail him for reasons he doesn't wish to disclose. As they investigate, Strike and Robin are drawn deeper into the murky lives of the people they are working for and investigating, while the image of the strangled child continues to haunt them.

The twists and turns in the investigation are intertwined with the complexities of both Strike and Robin's private lives, leading to a tense finale that has you hanging off the edge of your seat. 'Lethal White' is a brilliant novel, both a gripping thriller and enthralling mystery, with Strike and Robin at its heart. I couldn't wait to get back to them every time I picked up the book.

Already anticipating book five, I'm waiting expectantly for news on when it will be released, as well as when 'Lethal White' will be adapted as part of the 'Strike' TV Series. In the meantime, I have immensely enjoyed this complex novel, a superb addition to the previous three books. Long may the series continue.



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Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Strike and Robin take on an investigation into a cold case – the 1974 disappearance of a doctor, believed to be the victim of a serial killer.

While visiting his dying aunt in Cornwall, Strike is approached by Anna, who asks him to consider investigating the disappearance of her mother, Margot Bamborough, four decades before. Strike knows the possibility of success is unlikely to impossible after such a length of time and without the resources available to the police, who were themselves unable to solve the crime. Nevertheless, his interest is piqued. Robin, now Strike’s partner in the detective agency and currently navigating her divorce, travels to Falmouth to meet with Anna and her wife, Kim, alongside Strike. They agree to work on the case for twelve months.

There were several lines of inquiry followed by police during their investigation into Margot’s disappearance, chief among them and the widely regarded opinion that she fell victim to serial killer the Essex Butcher – but there was not sufficient evidence to charge Dennis Creed, now incarcerated in Broadmoor, with Margot’s murder. Already juggling multiple cases, the agency begins its own investigation, reviewing the shaky police investigation, which had been led by two detectives before it went cold. The first detective, Talbot, had been suffering a breakdown, becoming ever more obsessed with tracking down the Essex Butcher and believing he could solve Margot’s disappearance by occult means.

Across the next year, Strike and Robin track down the original witnesses, chase down old leads and uncover new revelations, whilst juggling the agency’s caseload and their personal challenges, not least of all the complications of their own relationship. The spectre of the Occult is never far behind them in this labyrinthine mystery of long shadows, buried lies and twisted secrets.

‘Troubled Blood’, the fifth novel in the series, is instantly engrossing, the narrative propelled by the entwining plots and sub-plots. Keeping a story so tautly plotted throughout over nine-hundred pages is a feat in itself, each scene and character described in exquisite detail, the images and the emotions expertly conjured. Galbraith’s ‘Strike’ series is pitched perfectly between classic and modern, of such high quality that the result reads like a cocktail of the masters of the genre – a blend of Agatha Christie and Lynda La Plante, with a dash of Stephen King, while the voice of the storyteller is always, unmistakably, J.K. Rowling.

I loved the previous four books in the series and this is my favourite so far. Strike and Robin are such endearing characters – both full of compassion and moral integrity, striving to uncover the truth through skilled investigation and enquiring intellect – in some ways so similar and in others vastly different. These two characters and their relationship are the driving force behind the series as much as the individual investigations within each novel. We may have all experienced a relationship like theirs at some point in our lives; so enriching, yet so complicated.

The solution to the mystery is sublime, the twist hidden in plain sight and so brilliantly orchestrated; a deeply satisfying conclusion to an epic novel packed with suspense, investigative research, multiple cases, emotion and heartbreak, laughter, and the lingering shadows of evil.

‘Troubled Blood’ is a thrilling and absorbing mystery from the pen of a master storyteller. I very much hope we get to see this one adapted for TV like the previous four, and cannot wait to devour book six – this is crime fiction at its absolute finest.



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The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An enthralling case for Strike and Robin’s detective agency.

Edie Ledwell, co-creator of cartoon internet sensation 'The Ink Black Heart', approaches the agency to track down a cyber troll who is making her life a living hell. With no experience in cyber investigation, Robin explains to Edie they're not best placed to help her.

But when Edie and her co-creator are attacked in High Gate Cemetery, resulting in Edie’s murder, Strike and Robin find themselves enlisted to track down the internet troll, who may have broken into the real world and be responsible for Edie's murder.

Navigating an investigation into the online community alongside its flesh and blood counterpart, the two detectives expose a murky online world that bleeds into the real one with devastating consequences.

'The Ink Black Heart' is the sixth novel in the 'Strike' series by J.K. Rowling, under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith; another complex, detailed and labyrinthine mystery of epic proportions that follows the two lead characters of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott as they take on their next major investigation, while the agency still juggles multiple other clients.

Engrossing and suspenseful, the novel navigates multiple plot threads and twists; Rowling once again expertly blending the classic and the contemporary through gothic imagery and dogged detective work, developing a multitude of characters which present many suspects for Strike and Robin to investigate - leading to clues and red herrings, undercover operations, extensive interview sequences and splashes of violence; this book has all you could want and more from a mystery and crime thriller to keep you turning its thousand-plus pages.

We also delve some more into Strike's troubled past, each novel revealing another layer. Strike and Robin are both superb and endearing characters, the narrative shared between them, their thoughts and feelings as crucial to the plot as the events and accumulating evidence. The relationship between the two characters drives the narrative as much as the case, their feelings for each other always threatening to rise to the surface.

The novel explores how a fandom can become fanatical and toxic, how the online world of gaming and social media can be abused, and how perceptions can be manipulated for the purposes of trolling, cyber-bullying and even terrorism, and the impact this has on people’s lives and in the real, wider world. The mysterious and villainous Anomie is superbly developed, a chilling presence throughout the novel, their identity revealed in the final pages in a shocking and action-packed climax.

I fell in love with this series from the moment I began 'The Cuckoo's Calling' and I absolutely loved ‘The Ink Black Heart’, which may be my second favourite in the series (following 'Troubled Blood'). The growing proportions of each of the novels let us entirely lose ourselves in this world and I eagerly anticipate the next in the series.



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The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


An intense, epic thriller that takes us into the dark heart of a cult.

The Strike and Ellacott Detective Agency is approached by a father whose son has joined a religious group and is now entirely estranged from his family.

With the reclusive Universal Humanitarian Church impenetrable by outsiders, Robin goes undercover to join the cult and ultimately takes residence at their headquarters of Chapman Farm in the Norfolk countryside.

Working from outside and within, Strike and Robin uncover the sinister nature of the UHC and a history of criminal activity, abuse and mysterious deaths.

'The Running Grave' is the seventh novel in the Strike series by Robert Galbraith, pseudonym for JK Rowling in writing the detective series following the lives and investigations of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Unlike any case they’ve pursued in the past, their client wishes them to find a way to free his son from the clutches of a nefarious religious group. Rowling once again treats us to a complex, detailed and engrossing novel of epic proportions, hooking us from the very first page and not letting go until the very last, as Robin goes deep undercover in her most dangerous cover identity yet, isolated from Strike and the team. This continues to be one of my favourite crime fiction series, featuring many elements I love about the genre – intricate mystery, subtle gothic overtones, psychological and philosophical depth, and riveting and electric plotting, woven into a superbly written novel driven by distinctive characters.

The Universal Humanitarian Church is richly developed, delving into its history and creation, its religious practices and mythology, having birthed from events that took place many years previously - all of which come under scrutiny, Strike investigating these circumstances as he would a cold case whilst Robin is undercover dealing directly with their primary objective. We experience the UHC’s insidious strategy of manipulation, coercive control and indoctrination, powered by the superficial charm and acute narcissism of leader Jonathan Wace and his close knit team of family and acolytes, as they exploit members and followers of the church in service of their spiritual development and claims at altruistic endeavours for the good of humanity, with the promise of belonging within a select and special minority who understand and teach 'the truth'. So cleverly and artfully done, you could almost admire it were its intent not so cruel and evil – while mirroring behaviours we see in reality from the small scale of abusive households, through cults and radicalised groups, to the ideology of entire nations or groups spanning the globe.

As always, Strike and Robin are at the centre of the narrative – I love both these characters and their relationship. In some ways they are vastly different, in others very similar, so perfectly complementing each other in both their friendship and their business partnership. In their own ways, they are both damaged and in the process of healing, something we've experienced with them as the series has progressed. Finally, Strike is no longer in denial about his feelings for his best friend and business partner. Unfortunately, Robin is now the one in denial, having long since tried to accept that Strike feels nothing for her beyond their friendship and professional relationship, and is now in a relationship with someone else. Their separation and Robin’s peril increases the emotional pressure of their predicament, forcing their feelings closer to the surface. The narrative strikes a perfect balance between the continuing character arcs and current investigations, navigating multiple twists and shocks, bringing the case brilliantly to a close with the final revelation, followed by an emotional denouement that leaves us excited for where the series will take us next.

Powerful and captivating, ‘The Running Grave’ is another sublime, propulsive installment in a superlative ongoing saga. Book eight (of the planned series of ten), 'The Hallmarked Man', has been announced as coming soon!



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